by Elle Thorne
She released a moan that pushed him over the edge.
He pushed her onto the bed, and traveled his hands over her quivering body. He laid a concentration of licks, kisses, and flicks on her nipples while he journeyed lower, taking his sweet time getting to the apex he wanted while she trembled beneath his attentions. He rained kisses on her stomach, over each hip, over the downy dainty treasure trail.
He curtailed his desire to take her while he neared the tiny triangle of trimmed hair. Cadence squirmed, her body arching upward, offering herself to him.
He lingered over her mound, inhaling the scent of her, the sex of her.
This woman, his mate, his everything.
He spread her folds, drenched with the results of her desire. He surveyed the bounty of her offerings, her dark pink clit swollen.
He dipped his head, taking the nub into his mouth, drawing it in, sucking, careful not to push her too far too fast. Her body tightened, hips rising.
She laced her fingers into his hair, her nails digging into his scalp the moment his tongue flicked her clit.
She brought his head downward, brought her hips up while he plunged his tongue into her loveliness. She rode his mouth, grinding against his face, giving both of them pleasure as he found a rhythm. Catching him off guard, she released an orgasm into his mouth. He lapped the juices from her slit.
She thrust upward with a groan, soaking both of them again. Isaac moved up and over her, his composure fled the moment she’d climaxed in his mouth.
Now he wanted one thing. Her. All of her. Claiming her. Bonding her. Making her his forever.
* * *
Cade’s body erupted in a myriad of sensations brought on by his lips, his fingers, his mouth, his very presence.
His cock nudged at her entrance for a brief second before he pressed in with a thrust that forced the breath from her lungs.
Her moan merged with a groan, becoming one sound as his cock claimed her body with the same passion he claimed her heart and his bear had claimed her panther. A swell of pain shot through her as he filled her. Her muscles spread to accommodate him, taking all of him in.
Her body curved to meet every thrust, taking him in deep, then missing him as he pulled out, only to fill her again. She clawed at his back, seeking purchase from the passion that overwhelmed her. His fingers gripped into her ass, pulling her so close there was no space between them.
A wave started at the very core of her being, undulating outward, carrying her on a tide of pleasure, pushing her further and further toward a place she’d not be able to return from.
She wrapped her legs around his waist. “Isaac,” she moaned. “Help me, please.”
His eyes focused on her face, his own features contorted by desire.
“Tell me what you want.”
“I want you. Always.”
He drew back, almost pulling out completely. “Woman. You. Have. Me.”
With one huge thrust, he was ensconced deep within, his hotness spreading within like liquid fire as he bit down on her neck, sharp incisors bonding them.
She opened her mouth to scream the agony of pleasure and pain taking her away when Isaac’s mouth covered hers.
He propped himself up on one arm, careful not to crush her while his body blanketed hers with safety and a bond that would transcend time.
Hours later, when she woke, he was still next to her, watching her with those eyes that never seemed to miss a thing.
“You knew, didn’t you? Knew it was me?”
“My bear did. He’s not…” Isaac released a long breath. “He doesn’t always confide everything to me. At least, he didn’t used to. I’m hoping things are better from this point on.”
“When did you figure out it, then?”
“When you took off your mask, at the mansion.”
“Could you have ever—” Cade couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
He traced circle patterns on her hips, making her lose her train of thought.
His fingertips froze. “Turned you in?”
She nodded.
“Never. Even if you weren’t mine.” His eyes flashed his bear’s, a golden white glow.
Tears burned the bridge of her nose, only they weren’t tears of helplessness.
“You owe me Christmas tomorrow.”
“You can have all my Christmases. Forever.”
Epilogue
The Romanoffs and the Araya sisters were seated at the dinner table. One seat was notably empty. Jonah’s.
Miriam Romanoff had invited another friend, Fiona, who was seated across from Jonah’s vacant spot.
Christmas dinner—traditionally so—was ham and turkey.
Miriam had placed Cadence’s seat across from Isaac’s. Isaac gave his aunt the eye. “So you knew?”
“Maybe you were the last to know she was meant for you.” Mikhail Romanoff boomed.
Cadence caught Isaac’s eye and turned a delicious shade of pink.
“So how’s the case?” Aunt Miriam’s eyes twinkled.
Cadence looked down.
Isaac frowned at his aunt. Surely she didn’t know about that, too, did she?
Nah, she couldn’t have.
A part of him wasn’t convinced she didn’t, though she glanced away, not confirming the answer to the question he tried to pose with his eyes.
“It’s slow going,” Isaac responded.
Cadence looked up, a small smile on her face. Isaac gave her a wink.
“So what’s the news?” he asked Laken and Ky. “You said you had something to tell us.”
“Not until Jonah’s here,” Ky said.
“Has Jonah called?” Miriam asked Mikhail.
“Not me he hasn’t. Anyone heard from Jonah?”
“I’m pretty sure I’m the last one he’d call,” Fiona said. A blonde beauty, as curvy as the Araya sisters, she grimaced. “He probably found out I’m here. That’s why he’s not.”
“Oh, my. I don’t think he harbors ill will toward you, Fiona. It’s been a while since…”
Since…
Aunt Miriam didn’t say since when, but Isaac knew. Since Fiona broke his brother’s heart.
He was pretty sure Jonah would have skipped if he knew Fi was here. But none of them had known. So where was his wayward brother?
“Maybe he’s not coming,” Ky said. “Could be he’s caught in a case? Shall we share the news?”
Ky rose, held his hand out for Laken to stand.
Her cheeks pinked. “We’re having a baby.” She put her hands over her stomach that showed no signs of a baby yet.
Cadence and Carina both simultaneously squealed, jumped up and ran around the table to embrace their sister.
Isaac hugged his brother. “Congratulations.”
Miriam’s hand was over the perfect O her mouth made. Tears streamed down her face.
“I’m so happy.”
Even Mikhail Romanoff, never at a loss for words, had nothing to say, just beamed happiness. Finally, he said. “I wish your father and mother were here, to celebrate this joy with us.”
Isaac strode around the table, put his arm around Cadence, pulling her into an embrace.
She leaned into him, while he inhaled her scent, without hunter’s block. He held her essence in his lungs, letting her aroma dwell in him, expanding his lungs painfully, but at the same time filling his heart in a way it had never been.
Motivation
Polar bear shifter Jonah Romanoff’s got one goal. Be the best agent he can be in the Paranormal Unit of InterForce.
He didn’t expect his ex to show up, prying into his secrets, opening up a can of worms, and throwing his bear and his heart into pandemonium.
Curvy falcon shifter Fiona hasn’t told him the truth about why she broke it off. Now she has to figure out why he’s lying to her.
Except the secrets don’t seem to matter as much when the motivation becomes saving the life of the one you love.
Chapter One
Thi
s was a bad fucking idea.
The epic fail of bad ideas. Accepting Miriam Romanoff’s invitation to join the Romanoffs for Christmas dinner would go down in Fiona Forester’s history as the most epically stupid thing she’d done.
Who accepts to have dinner at the home of her ex’s family?
Falcon shifter Fiona fiddled with the silverware Miriam had set out.
Me. Total idiot. Me. Totally.
It wasn’t a big damned surprise that Jonah wasn’t here. One of his brothers must have told him I’d be here.
Fiona looked at Ky—Malachi Romanoff. Ky had his hand on his mate’s stomach and was beaming a smile about her pregnancy. They’d just announced Laken would be having his baby.
Was it Ky who told? Or Isaac? She turned her glance to the other Romanoff brother. Isaac was all google-eyed about his new mate, Cadence Araya, Laken’s sister.
Neither Ky nor Isaac looked particularly guilty. Why would they? They wouldn’t feel bad about warning Jonah. Of course, they’d take their brother’s side on this matter. She couldn’t blame them for that.
Fiona glanced at Mikhail Romanoff, the boys’ uncle. Maybe he spilled the beans. Mikhail had raised all three boys after they lost their parents. He probably wouldn’t talk to her at all.
Ugh. Why did I accept Miriam’s invitation?
Fiona glanced at Miriam, an arctic fox shifter, curvy, like all the rest of them, only with a few more curves, an easy smile, and a twinkle in her eyes. She caught Fiona watching her. The smile broadened and she gave a little nod, almost as if she were saying that Fiona shouldn’t worry, that Jonah’s absence had nothing to do with her.
Yeah, right.
A knock at the door made everyone quiet down. Heads turned. In Fiona’s stomach a knot took root. She shook it off. There was no reason to fret. That wasn’t Jonah. She didn’t sense his polar bear. Her falcon would surely have picked up his bear’s presence.
Were they expecting someone else? They hadn’t said, but then again, it’s not like Fiona was part of the planning committee.
Miriam excused herself and made for the door, with Mikhail close behind her, always ever mindful of his mate. Fiona had known the Romanoffs for years. She’d always admired the way Mikhail cared for his mate. She hoped she could have the same one day.
You had that with Jonah, her falcon reminded her.
And you know why that didn’t work, she reminded her falcon back.
She studied her fork to keep from having to look at his brothers and their questioning glances. She knew she didn’t belong here.
They’d had this discussion too many times in the years since she and Jonah had parted ways. Her falcon knew damned well there was nothing that could be done about the matter. It was for Jonah’s own good.
She dropped the fork on the plate, it clattered loudly, but not loudly enough to drown out that voice.
Jonah.
His voice. God. He still did it for her. Just hearing one sentence had made her body react. A flood, a tightening, a pulse that throbbed at her core.
Goddamn him. And I couldn’t even tell what the hell he just said.
Yup, that was the effect that damned sexy ass polar bear shifter had on her.
Still.
Years later.
Damn, already.
You’d think she’d have gotten over him. Replaced him.
The only thing she’d replaced him with was in her nightstand drawer and ran on batteries. And that was a damned sorry excuse for a replacement, but it beat the hell out of having to fake interest in another man. There was no way in hell another man could make her feel the things he had.
Her falcon screeched in her mind, the shrieking made Fiona want to cover her ears, but she knew that wouldn’t do any good. The sound was in her mind.
Stop. Please. Stop.
The falcon kept up the high-pitched vocalizations.
I can’t understand anything you’re saying. Stop!
* * *
Jonah Romanoff followed his aunt and uncle into the dining room.
“I’m sorry I’m late. It’s a case. Kept me busy.”
“On Christmas day?” Aunt Miriam frowned. “It’s a holiday. A federal holiday.”
“Criminals don’t take a holiday, Miriam.” Uncle Mikhail kissed her on the cheek. “I’m starving. Let’s eat.”
“Me t—” Jonah froze.
No. It couldn’t be.
Fiona Forester.
Here.
Here to fuck my life up. As if it’s not fucked up enough.
He clenched his jaw, fought the urge to make tight fists and drive them through the wall.
He wished he could scent her. He wished he could have known she was here in advance. He couldn’t have.
He studied the woman who’d taken his heart ages ago. The woman he’d almost taken as his mate. The woman who still had his heart, except now it was in shambles—a desolate barren environment where nothing grew.
His broken heart was one thing, but his cock sure as hell wasn’t broken.
His loins burned with the need to be deep within her again. She was his mate. He mourned her. Her blond hair was pulled back, exposing the neck he used to love to kiss and nibble on. The neck that led to that spot near her shoulder where he’d almost couple-bonded her the night before she broke it off between them.
Her gaze was concentrated on the fork that had cracked the dinner plate. He didn’t need preternatural shifter vision to see that she’d broken Aunt Miriam’s fine china.
Fiona’s eyes glistened, as if she were fighting tears, those blue eyes he’d loved looking into, the blue eyes he’d gotten lost in so many times.
Not tears for me, that’s for sure. She’s the one who dumped me.
He nodded at her, though he knew his eyes were throwing lethal weapons.
Fiona looked down, her eyelashes casting shadows on her high cheekbones. Her expression sparked an emotion in him.
It took everything he had not to run to her, to take her into his arms, to claim her.
Instead he turned to his aunt. “You’ve been busy.” He let his tone carry that it wasn’t lost on him that she’d manipulated the situation to have Fiona here. Oh, yeah, he blamed his aunt for this for sure.
And of course, it figures that of all the people in the world, the one who knows me best would be here…
…at a time like this.
The worst time of all.
Ever.
Chapter Two
Fiona took stock of Jonah. The years had been kind to him. Oh, who was she kidding; the man would look good no matter what. To her anyway. Dirty blond hair, with those startling cornflower eyes, a wide chest that looked like it still rippled into the vee she’d known oh-so-damned well for the best two years of her life.
She bit the sigh back, a sigh at the effect he still had on her.
She waited for her falcon to calm down while Jonah was throwing machetes at her with his eyes. Those light blue eyes, once so caring, once glowing with love for her.
Now?
Hatred. Pure undisguised hatred.
Finally, her falcon slowed down and dropped the volume enough for Fiona to pick out a word or two of what it yelled at her.
Bear? What’s wrong with his bear?
Her falcon began that infernal screeching.
You have got to stop that and communicate with me.
The shrieking began to die down.
What do you mean his bear’s not there? How can that be?
But in her heart, Fiona knew something was up. She didn’t sense his arrival. She didn’t know he was there until she heard his voice.
But his bear couldn’t be gone.
That’s not how it works.
How did it work?
* * *
Miriam replaced her cracked plate and acted like it wasn’t a big deal, but Fiona knew her good china mattered to her. It had been handed down for generations. She wished she could sink into the flooring.
Dinner was an exer
cise in torture.
Fiona didn’t look up from her meal, but at the same time couldn’t have named a single item on her plate. She’d mixed it, stirred it, moved it around, but none of it made its way to her mouth.
She was very aware of his presence across from her, even if she couldn’t feel his bear.
She hoped they’d have a break between dinner and dessert so she could talk to Jonah. She had to tell him the news and she needed to find out what was going on with his bear.
Fiona got her wish.
Between everyone helping to clean and chattering about Laken’s pregnancy, she noticed Jonah had slipped out to the balcony.
Alone.
Feeling quite stalkerish, she followed him outside. She pushed the feeling aside. This was important.
He didn’t turn around to face her when she followed him outside. That wasn’t a good sign. His bear didn’t notice her arrival?
In Fiona’s mind, her falcon began a low chirping sound, one of sadness.
Fiona cleared her throat to get his attention.
Jonah turned. The smile vanished as soon as he saw who’d joined him. “What do you want?”
She gulped down her trepidation and wished she could gulp down the way he made her feel as well. “You could be friendlier.”
His jaw muscles worked. “No reason to be. Why are you here?”
“Your aunt invited me.”
Jonah’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You should have declined. What are you doing in town anyway? Didn’t you transfer from Colorado to California?”
She wasn’t about to answer that. Not here. Not now. “Where’s your bear?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Your bear. I—my falcon can’t hear him, sense him, anything him.”
“Maybe he has no interest in touching base with your falcon.”
